Morning routine (playing, child, 8 year old, chart)
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Our routine has worked, but I am really up their butts in the morning. .
I have to be this way with my 7 yr old daughter or she would never get anything done. She can find more things to piddle her time away if I give her too much time to do things, it drives me crazy! It's hard sometimes to stay on top of her so much but if I don't she wouldn't ever get to bed or out the door to school.
Has anyone suggested changing their clocks yet? Set their clocks back an hour while they are sleeping so they wake up an hour earlier. I actually got that idea from the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
NO TV in the morning is a great plan - stick to that.
Make sure they are getting enough sleep. Talk to your doctor and find out how much sleep your kids need. It might surprise you.
Seems like a lot of kids these days have a really late bedtime, and so they and their parents suffer for it in the mornings. Our kids went to bed at 7:30 or 8 o'clock all through middle school. In high school the rules changed, but up through 8th grade they had to be in the beds no later than 8pm. We had to get up really early though - we're out the door by 7:30. Getting good sleep though makes all the difference in the morning.
Today was day 3. The only problem we've had so far is too many showers too close together. We'll have to see how we can fix that tomorrow. Haggard, our problem is too much time in the morning. The last thing I need is for him to get up earlier. Once he's ready I have been giving him things to do like make his own lunch and pack his backpack. TV in the morning over the weekend was like a treat.
I like the audiobooks idea that someone else suggested. My kids love audio books for long car trips. We check out books on CD from the library and burn them to mp3 and put them on their mp3 players for them to listen to. Doesn't cost a thing.
I agree... no tv in the am.
I don't let our girls turn it on UNLESS, they are dressed & backpacks are packed!
It is so easy for them to become distracted with it.
I usually tell them they need to read a book,practice their violin or something like that...
Our 8 year old takes FOREVER in the morning and it drives me crazy too. She can't decide what she wants for breakfast, then she doesn't like what I took out for her the night before to wear, & then it just takes forever to get dressed,teeth brushed,etc...
It is never ending.
I always feel like we are rushing,even though, we are up 2 hours before they even have to be to school. Not by my choice, they are early risers.
Part of it is my fault as I don't like to make their lunches at night, I will put their little things in their lunch boxes (pretzels,etc...) but I truly hated lunch as a kid at school because my mom would make our sandwiches the night before and then by lunchtime at school, the bread was gross, especially if it was pb&J because the jelly makes the bread a little soggy,etc... I just really disliked it.
SO, I swore I would never make my children's lunches the night before, even if it means having to get up just a little earlier to give them fresh sandwiches to eat
I agree... no tv in the am.
I don't let our girls turn it on UNLESS, they are dressed & backpacks are packed!
It is so easy for them to become distracted with it.
I usually tell them they need to read a book,practice their violin or something like that...
Our 8 year old takes FOREVER in the morning and it drives me crazy too. She can't decide what she wants for breakfast, then she doesn't like what I took out for her the night before to wear, & then it just takes forever to get dressed,teeth brushed,etc...
It is never ending.
I always feel like we are rushing,even though, we are up 2 hours before they even have to be to school. Not by my choice, they are early risers.
Part of it is my fault as I don't like to make their lunches at night, I will put their little things in their lunch boxes (pretzels,etc...) but I truly hated lunch as a kid at school because my mom would make our sandwiches the night before and then by lunchtime at school, the bread was gross, especially if it was pb&J because the jelly makes the bread a little soggy,etc... I just really disliked it.
SO, I swore I would never make my children's lunches the night before, even if it means having to get up just a little earlier to give them fresh sandwiches to eat
sounds like we have some similar issues. Not having the TV on has made a huge difference.
I agree... no tv in the am.
I don't let our girls turn it on UNLESS, they are dressed & backpacks are packed!
It is so easy for them to become distracted with it.
I usually tell them they need to read a book,practice their violin or something like that...
Our 8 year old takes FOREVER in the morning and it drives me crazy too. She can't decide what she wants for breakfast, then she doesn't like what I took out for her the night before to wear, & then it just takes forever to get dressed,teeth brushed,etc...
It is never ending.
I always feel like we are rushing,even though, we are up 2 hours before they even have to be to school. Not by my choice, they are early risers.
Part of it is my fault as I don't like to make their lunches at night, I will put their little things in their lunch boxes (pretzels,etc...) but I truly hated lunch as a kid at school because my mom would make our sandwiches the night before and then by lunchtime at school, the bread was gross, especially if it was pb&J because the jelly makes the bread a little soggy,etc... I just really disliked it.
SO, I swore I would never make my children's lunches the night before, even if it means having to get up just a little earlier to give them fresh sandwiches to eat
When I come down for my coffee I make the sandwiches for lunch - everything else is packed the night before. Too much time for the kids being up ends up being unproductive - plus the more sleep they get - the better they function. So, I give a wakeup warning to my 8 year old and at that time offer 2 choices for breakfast - whichever he chooses goes on the table. Clothes are selected the night before and any issues/arguments/disagreements around that resolved then. The routine is the same every morning - so he knows it well- his tasks have and has always been - wake up - wash face/brush hair. Table for breakfast / get dressed / make bed/ get bag and snow stuff/ wait to leave the house. If there is any extra time he can feed the guinea pig, turn off lights and do other odds and ends (get my cellphones together etc) - never television - except news and weather on rare occasion and NEVER kids TV. Ever.
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